A Great Northern Diver (Gavia immer) was observed at Oued Massa today, 25 February 2016, by Anders Wiig Nielsen. This is the 9th record for Morocco.
Anders commented:
"The bird was seen from 12.00 a.m. until 12.34 where it flows West towards the river mouth. Early this morning (26 Feb) I saw another loon sp. briefly, flying south from Sidi R'bat, only approximately 2 km from Oued Massa".
Update:
The Welsh birder Gareth Stamp observed the bird the previous day, but he didn't know that the species is a rarity in Morocco. He commented the following:
"I am a visiting birder from Wales, UK. My first trip to Morocco. I visited Oued Massa on 24th February. The Great Northern Diver was present around midday not far from the estuary mouth. I did inform two Dutch birders who were also staying at the same hotel. Apologies for the delay in getting the news out. I was unsure of its significance until I saw it on your blog. Thanks all!"
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Great Northern Diver / Plongeon imbrin
(Gavia immer), Oued Massa, Morocco, 25 February 2016 (Anders Wiig Nielsen). |
Great
ReplyDeleteThe bird was seen from 12.00 a.m. until 12.34 where it flow West towards the river mouth. Early this morning I saw another loon sp. briefly, flying south from Side R'bat, only aproximately 2 km from Oued Massa.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards
Anders Wiig Nielsen
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI am a visiting birder from Wales, UK. My first trip to Morocco. I visited Oued Massa on 24th February. The great northern diver was present around midday not far from the estuary mouth. I did inform two dutch birders who were also staying at the same hotel La Palmeraie de Massa. Apologies for the delay in getting the news out. I was unsure of its significance until i saw it on your blog.
Regards
Gareth
Thanks Gareth for your comment. I understand it's not possible for visiting birders to know all rarities in the region they visit. But it's good that the bird stayed there and was seen and photographed later by Anders Wiig Nielsen and probably by others.
DeleteRegards,
Mohamed